Korea  for  Christ. 

nY  REV.  \V.  E.  TOWSOX. 


I Kore.v,  blurred,  blackened,  and  broken  by  sin, 
J hangs  as  a pendant  on  the  bosom  of  Asia;  but 
the  light  which  shines  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ  has  fallen  upon  it,  and  the  promise  is 
that  soon,  very  soon  “Chosen,”  the  “Land  of  the 
Morning  Calm,”  will  be  among  the  crown  jewels 
of  our  Lord. 

Korea  is  about  equal  in  size  to  the  States  of 
Xew  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  has  a popula- 
tion, at  the  highest  estimate,  of  but  twelve  or 

I thirteen  millions.  Though  thus  comparatively 
small  in  area  and  in  the  number  of  its  inhab- 
itants, there  is  no  single  mission  field  which 
has  aroused  throughout  the  Protestant  world 
the  intense  interest  and  concern  that  Korea  has. 
Why  this  intense  interest  in  one  of  the  smaller 
mission  fields,  in  a country  without  any  pres- 
tige or  influence,  in  a people  poor,  oppressed,  and 
ignorant?  The  answer  is  that  these  people  have 
become  deeply  interested  in  the  Christian’s 
Christ  and  are  praying:  “Come  over  into  Korea 
and  help  us.” 

A few  dates  with  which  to  refresh  our  mem- 
ories. Until  1882  Korea  was  a hermit  nation. 
It  was  death  for  any  foreigner  to  enter  the 
country  or  for  a native  to  leave  it.  The  first 
treaty  made  with  any  nation  was  secured  that 
year  by  the  United  States.  The  first  missionary 
(an  American),  Dr.  X.  H.  Allen,  entered  the 
country  in  1884;  and  the  first  baptism  was  in 
1886.  At  this  time  the  nation  was  “savagely 
hostile  to  Christianity.”  In  1888  seven  converts 
gathered  in  Seoul,  the  capital,  with  Dr.  Allen 
secretly  around  the  Lord’s  table  in  celebration 


of  the  first  communion.  And  now  behold  a mira- 
cle of  missions!  In  1908  there  were  In  Korea 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Chris- 
tians, with  adherents  to  the  Christian  faith 
numbering  approximately  one  million.  Chris- 
tian truth  has  spread  throughout  the  countrj'  to 
such  an  extent  that  an  official  of  the  govern- 
ment has  recently  said:  “There  are  none  of  ray 
people  who  are  not  favorable  to  Christianity.’ 

There  are  but  two  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians at  work  in  the  kingdom — the  Presbj'te- 
rians  and  the  Methodists — represented  by  four 
or  five  missions.  These  are  working  in  such 
blessed  harmony  that  it  is  very  probable  that  in 
the  near  future  all  the  Churches  in  Korea  will 
be  organized  into  one  body — the  Christian 
Church  of  Korea.  And  it  should  be  so,  for  there 
is  no  reason  in  wisdom  or  in  Christianity  why 
the  expensive,  unnecessary,  and  frequently  sin- 
ful divisions  among  American  and  English 
Christians  should  be  continued  on  the  mission 
field. 

The  Southern  Methodist  Church  began  its 
work  in  Korea  twelve  years  ago.  Its  report 
for  1907  shows  over  five  thousand  Church  mem- 
bers, besides  more  than  five  thousand  proba- 
tioners. It  has  one  hundred  and  eighty  organ- 
ized Churches,  and  is  erecting  church  buildings 
at  the  rate  of  one  a week.  The  Presbyterian 
Church  has  doubled  itself  nine  times  in  seven- 
teen years,  and  increased  its  membership  fifty 
per  cent  last  year.  Dr.  Underwood,  one  of  the 
oldest  missionaries  in  the  country,  says:  “The 
Korean  converts  are  characterized  by  four 
marked  features:  (1)  They  are  a Bible-loving, 
(2)  a prayer-believing,  (3)  a money-giving,  and 
(4)  an  actively  working  people.” 

1.  “They  are  a Bible-loving  people.”  “They 
have  a passion  for  the  word  of  God.”  It  is  a 
frequent  thing  in  Korea  to  have  classes  of  men, 
numbering  from  five  hundred  to  thirteen  hun- 
dred, to  meet  together  for  ten  days  for  the  sin- 
gle purpose  of  studying  the  Bible.  These  will 
[2  3 


go  on  foot  over  the  mountains  and  through  the 
valleys,  frequently  through  the  snow,  from  one 
to  seven  days’  journey,  carrying  their  bed  cloth- 
ing and  food  with  them,  in  order  to  take  part  in 
this  study  of  God’s  Word.  When  the  men  re- 
turn, their  wives  and  daughters  gather  for  a 
similar  purpose.  It  is  a constant  occurrence  for 
some  of  them  to  walk  ten  and  twenty  miles  to 
be  present  at  an  ordinary  Bible  class.  Many 
in  their  old  age  learn  to  read  in  order  to  be  able 
to  read  and  study  God’s  Word.  Do  not  these 
representatives  of  a so-called  “heathen  nation’’ 
put  us  to  blush  by  their  eagerness  for  God’s 
truth?  Are  they  not  more  “noble”  than  some 
in  Christian  America,  “in  that  they  receive  the 
word  with  all  readiness  and  search  the  Scrip- 
tures daily  whether  these  things  are  so?”  A 
missionary  says:  “These  Koreans  seem  to  have 
a genius  for  Christianity.  They  grasp  it  with 
a comprehension  and  a comprehensiveness  that 
amaze  the  missionary.  Frequently  New  Testa- 
ment passages  that  perplex  us  are  clear  to  Ko- 
reans.” 

2.  “They  are  a prayer-believing  people.”  “The 
prayer  meeting  is  the  spiritual  thermometer  of 
the  Church,”  is  a frequent  saying.  Judged  by 
this  standard,  the  spiritual  tide  in  the  Korean 
Church  must  run  high.  Midweek  prayer  serv- 
ices, ranging  in  attendance  from  eight  hundred 
to  twelve  and  fifteen  hundred,  are  a constant 
occurrence.  The  Central  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Ping  Yang  has  an  average  attendance  of 
twelve  hundred  at  its  prayer  services,  while 
there  are  four  other  prayer  meetings  in  session 
in  the  same  city,  with  a total  attendance  of 
thirty-five  hundred.  These  gatherings  for 
prayer  thrill  all  who  attend  them.  Listen  to  a 
few  testimonies  from  American  visitors — not 
missionaries — who  were  privileged  to  be  pres- 
ent at  some  of  these  week-day  services.  A lady 
visitor:  “I  think  I was  never  quite  so  near 
I heaven  before  in  my  life.”  A Philadelphia  pas- 
tor: “The  service  was  an  uplift  toward  the  up- 
13] 


permost  heights.”  A newspaper  correspondent: 
“That  was  the  most  interesting  Church  congre- 
gation I have  ever  seen.  Alert,  devout,  radiant, 
they  were  an  argument  for  the  old-time  reli- 
gion.” 

3.  “A  money-giving  people.”  The  Koreans  are 
poor,  miserably  poor.  The  average  wage  of  a 
workingman  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cents  a 
day;  but  “out  of  their  poverty  they  abound  unto 
the  riches  of  liberality.”  Last  year  fifteen  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  Presbyterian  Christians 
gave  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars  in  Ameri- 
can currency.  Tithers  among  them  are  numer- 
ous, and  there  are  others  who  contribute  as 
much  as  a third  of  their  income.  Some  of  the 
women  have  established  what  they  call  a “rice 
collection.”  Having  no  money  to  contribute, 
they  take  a handful  of  the  grain  from  the  por- 
tion to  be  cooked,  which  is  laid  aside  to  accumu- 
late, and  is  finally  given — so  that  each  meal 
pays  a toll  unto  the  Lord’s  cause.  Of  fifty-eight 
church  buildings  of  the  Southern  Methodist 
]\Iission,  forty-eight  of  these  were  built  and  paid 
for  by  the  native  people.  These  houses  are  as 
good  or  better  than  those  the  people  live  in 
themselves.  When  Dr.  Lambuth,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Southern  Meth- 
odist Church,  was  in  Korea  last  year,  six  Ko- 
rean women  gave  him  their  wedding  rings  with 
the  request  that  he  sell  them  in  America,  as 
they  wanted  to  use  the  money  for  the  building 
of  a church  house  in  their  neighborhood.  A 
sacrifice  of  this  kind  means  far  more  to  an 
Oriental  woman  than  it  would  to  her  sister  in 
the  Occident. 

4.  “An  actively  working  people.”  “One  condi- 
tion of  Church  membership  in  Korea  is  that 
the  applicant  has  already  begun  to  witness  to 
others.”  The  people,  having  but  little  money 
to  give  for  the  employment  of  evangelists,  have 
hit  upon  the  splendid  plan  of  contributing  work 
instead.  Subscription  lists  in  which  the  people 
pledge  so  many  days  of  active  evangelistic  work 

[4] 


are  passed  around.  Churches  have  been  known 
in  this  way  to  promise  to  give  within  a few 
months  what  amounts  to  several  years’  work 
for  one  person.  The  missionaries  say  that  over 
one-half,  perhaps  two-thirds,  of  all  the  converts 
in  Korea  have  been  brought  to  Christ  by  the 
Koreans  themselves.  This  is  an  ideal  condition, 
and  one  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  plan  and 
purpose  of  the  Master  himself  as  to  the  exten- 
sion of  his  kingdom.  Missionaries  alone,  no 
matter  how  numerous,  can  never  win  a heathen 
nation  to  Christ;  native-made  Christians  must 
take  up  the  work  and  carry  it  on,  or  it  will 
never  be  done. 

The  missionaries  in  Korea  are  utterly  unable 
to  answer  all  the  calls  that  come  to  them,  and 
unable  at  times  to  examine  even  all  the  candi- 
dates for  baptism.  “The  missionaries  cannot 
keep  up  with  the  procession  of  native-made  con- 
verts, and  are  in  danger  of  nervous  prostration 
in  trying  to  do  so,”  is  the  statement  of  one 
who  has  recently  visited  the  field.  One  of  my 
friends  has  sixty  congregations  on  his  circuit, 
which  he  is  trying  to  visit.  Another  writes:  “If 
I were  to  travel  every  day  in  the  year,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  me  to  visit  all  the  Christian 
communities  in  the  bounds  of  my  work.  ...  If 
there  were  enough  missionaries  to  guide  this  in- 
fant Church,  Korea  might  be  speedily  evangel- 
ized, for  all  things  are  now  ready — except  the 
Church  at  home." 

Fifteen  years  ago  Rev.  G.  H.  Jones  was  de- 
nied admission  into  the  city  of  Kang  Hwa, 
where  he  went  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  the 
gospel.  Last  year  he  was  met  at  the  boat  land- 
ing by  four  hundred  Kang  Hwa  Christians,  es- 
corted by  them  to  the  city  gate,  four  miles  away, 
and  there  welcomed  by  a larger  delegation,  the 
representatives  of  thirty-five  hundred  Chris- 
tians in  the  city.  The  next  day  he  preached  to 
fifteen  hundred  Christians,  all  who  could  get 
into  the  house,  and  baptized  one  hundred  and 
thirty.  He  asked  for  $450  for  new  work  in  the 
[5] 


province,  and  was  given  $750,  and  with  it  opened 
three  new  missions. 

In  1897  there  was  but  one  Christian  at  Syen 
Chung,  and  the  missionary,  in  order  to  avoid 
ridicule  and  disturbance,  was  forced  to  hold  his 
first  service  outside  the  city  on  the  hillside. 
Now  there  are  fifteen  hundred  Christians  at 
Syen  Chung,  and  ten  other  congregations  have 
been  organized  in  the  city  and  vicinity.  The 
prayer  meeting  at  this  place  has  an  attendance 
of  one  thousand  or  more. 

The  work  began  in  Ping  Yang,  “a  perfect  sink 
of  iniquity,”  in  1892,  Dr.  Moffett,  the  missiona- 
ry, being  stoned  by  some  of  the  inhabitants. 
Now  there  are  over  five  thousand  Christians  in 
the  city,  and  a prayer  meeting  attendance  of 
over  three  thousand  five  hundred.  Of  the  seven 
ordained  to  the  ministry  last  year,  one  of  them 
was  the  leader  of  those  who  stoned  Dr.  Moffett 
fifteen  years  before. 

The  work  that  is  now  in  progress  in  Korea 
is  frequently  spoken  of  as  “primitive  and  apos- 
tolic.” A visitor  said:  “It  reminds  me  of  the 
days  of  the  apostles.”  The  missionary  to  whom 
the  remark  was  addressed  replied:  “When  in 
the  days  of  the  apostles  was  there  ever  anything 
like  it?”  It  can  be  said  of  Korea  as  was  said 
of  another  mission  field:  “It  is  not  a campaign 
that  is  being  waged,  but  a harvest  field  that  is 
being  reaped.” 

The  fear  has  been  expressed  that  this  wonder- 
ful work  may  be  superficial.  Mr.  Ellis,  the  cor- 
respondent of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  who  made 
a very  critical  study  of  this  and  a number  of 
other  mission  fields  in  the  interest  of  truth  and 
accuracy,  is  on  record  to  the  effect  that  the  ex- 
amination given  the  natives  applying  for  ad- 
mission into  the  Church  was  so  strict  and  thor- 
ough that  he  could  not  have  passed  it  himself. 
The  Church  in  Korea  has  the  narrowest  door  of 
all  the  Churches  in  the  world. 

What  of  the  future?  It  is  confidently  pre- 
dicted that  within  fifteen  years,  certainly  within 
[6] 


twenty,  the  people,  as  a whole,  will  have  turned 
to  Christ,  and  Korea  will  be  the  “first  nation  of 
the  non-Christian  world  to  become  a Christian 
nation.”  Thoughtful  Christians  are  asking: 
“What  does  this  present  wonderful  work  in  Ko- 
rea mean?  What  plans  has  God  for  this  peo- 
ple?” “Without  doubt  God  intends  to  use  this 
little  nation  in  some  wonderful  way.”  Some 
think  that  because  of  the  kinship  of  the  Chinese, 
both  in  origin  and  tongue,  God  purposes  to  use 
them  as  missionaries  among  these  people.  “It 
is  through  Korea  that  the  light  of  Christianity 
will  shine  on  the  Far  Eastern  world,”  says  one. 

Korea  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  .Japanese 
government  — under  her  absolute  control  and 
management.  If  Korea  is  patient,  trying  and 
humiliating  as  the  process  may  be,  the  outcome 
will  be  for  the  larger  life  of  the  Korean  people. 
Japan  will  do  for  the  country  what  England  has 
already  done  for  Egypt.  Japan  has  made  mis- 
takes in  Korea,  and  doubtless  will  make  more; 
but  so  has  the  United  States  made  serious  blun- 
ders in  the  Philippines.  No  true  American,  how- 
ever, believes  that  our  country  is  simply  exploit- 
ing these  islands  for  her  own  benefit,  neither  is 
the  Japanese  government  doing  this  with  Korea. 
I speak  of  the  government,  not  of  individuals. 
At  heart  the  Japanese  government  is  seeking 
the  welfare  of  the  Korean  people.  Better  far 
that  Korea  should  be  in  the  hands  of  Japan  for 
a hundred  years  than  in  the  clutches  of  Russia 
for  one  day.  The  control  of  the  latter  would 
have  meant  the  death  of  all  missionary  propa- 
ganda: hut  .Japan  permits  the  utmost  freedom 
in  matters  of  religion.  “Although  now  bitter  in 
its  process,  the  ultimate  outcome  of  the  Japanese 
regime  will  doubtless  be  beneficial.” 

The  future  of  Korea,  however,  is  not  to  he  de- 
termined by  .Japan,  but  by  the  Church  of  Christ. 
“Christ  is  Head  over  all  thin.gs  to  the  Church,” 
and  he  is  Head  of  the  interests  of  his  kingdom 
in  Korea,  and  he  will  bring  it  to  pass.  The 
Church  of  Christ  has  now  the  unique  opportu- 
[ 7 ] 


nity  of  winning  a people  who  are  pleading  for 
the  gospel  to  the  standard  of  their  Master.  Will 
she  heed  the  cry?  “Usually  it  has  been  the  un- 
felt need  of  an  unawakened  people  that  has  ap- 
pealed to  the  Church  of  Christ;  but  now  we 
hear  the  cry  of  millions  who  feel  their  need  and 
w’ait  in  tears  before  God  and  his  Church  for 
help.  What  shall  become  of  us  if,  having  ex- 
cited their  hopes,  we  only  taunt  their  hunger 
with  visions  of  bread  beyond  their  reach?  The 
Church  must  heed  the  blessed  yet  awe-inspiring 
cry.  With  all  the  tongues  of  flesh  and  type  at 
our  command,  let  us  sound  it  over  this  land  of 
plenty.  Contract  our  lines!  What  province, 
which  thousand  of  the  multitude,  shall  we  aban- 
don to  the  demons  that  have  long  tormented 
them?  The  bread  of  life  for  all  Korea,  and  all 
Korea  for  Christ!” 


Board  of  Missions,  M.  E.  Church,  South,  XashviUe,  Tenn. 


[8] 


